Picture naming in children was assessed as a function of two stimulus characteristics: the number of correct names for a picture and the degree to which a picture realistically represents the object. Two experiments showed that children named low-uncertainty objects faster than high-uncertainty objects with multiple correct names. Contains 50…

Performance on a battery of tests of vocabulary words by 72 college students was compared as a function of whether the prior instruction involved presenting material in an organized or scrambled fashion. Organizing vocabulary words during study facilitated performance in categorizing, processing for understanding, or producing a word. (SLD)

Addresses three questions to language teachers concerning vocabulary development: (1) Why is it important to have a rich vocabulary? (2) How does vocabulary development take place? and (3) What can happen in class to foster vocabulary growth? (MG)

A study assessed the effectiveness of a computer software program in teaching a list of unfamiliar words to eleventh graders, by comparing the program's instructional approach, which incorporates definitional and contextual word knowledge, with approaches that use definitional or contextual information only. A modified mixed approach proved most…

This replication study demonstrated that Jordanian college students studying English recognized the meanings of new words and built associations between them after comprehension-focused extensive reading. Controlled book-length reading generated more incidental word learning and a higher pickup rate than shorter tasks. Word frequency did not make…

Explored differences in the social and cognitive development of 4-year-olds in junior kindergarten taught by differentially educated instructors. Found that children taught by early childhood educators with 2-year college degrees in early childhood education and those taught by teachers with a university teaching certificate did not differ in…

Analyzed videotapes of 3- to 7-year-old Singaporean children to document play and language level. Data analysis revealed a developmental trend in play and language scores, several significant gender differences in Smilansky's and Parten/Piaget play categories but no significant gender differences in language scores. Socioeconomic status…

This study examined relations among cortisol reactivity and measures of cognitive function and social behavior in 4- to 5-year-old children (N=169) attending Head Start. Saliva samples for the assay of cortisol were collected at the beginning, middle, and end of an approximately 45-min testing session. Moderate increase in cortisol followed by…

Relations between multiple dimensions of family involvement in early childhood education and classroom outcomes were examined. Participants included 144 urban, Head Start children. Parental report of family involvement was gathered in late fall using a multidimensional assessment. Relations between family involvement dimensions and end of the year…

Although lexical decision remains one of the most extensively studied cognitive tasks, very little is known about its relationship to broader linguistic performance such as reading ability. In a correlational study, several aspects of lateralized lexical decision performance were related to vocabulary and reading comprehension measures, as…

In this study, the effects of second language (i.e., L2) proficiency and age of second language acquisition are assessed. Three types of bilinguals are compared: Early L2 learners, Late highly proficient L2 learners, and Late less proficient L2 learners. A lexical decision priming paradigm is used in which the critical trials consist of first…

Developed by the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, this fifth-grade level module teaches different kinds of vocabulary words encountered in work-related texts used by pipefitter trainees. The module covers the following topics: differences between general, specialized, and technical words; learning new words; drills for…

A study examined the training of students to use context clues more effectively. Subjects were five fifth and sixth grade remedial students identified as low verbal students. The subjects were met with individually for 9 sessions of approximately 30 minutes each, prior to or following the school day. Two sessions were devoted to testing and seven…

The growing problem of English mother tongue competence is slowly being recognized by teachers in several disciplines, especially by teachers of translation. In a language degree course such as that at Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland), which specializes in teaching translating and interpreting, a high standard of mother tongue…

The 197 reading tests described in this bibliography assess various reading skills such as comprehension, oral reading, silent reading, independent, instructional and frustration levels. Some of the reading tests are part of overall achievement batteries. Some of the tests are in Spanish. This bibliography does not include reading readiness tests.…